People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
